
The category of slots with an Asian theme is as colorful and varied as the continent they take inspiration from, constantly fascinating developers and players alike. And finding a way to stand out in such a competitive environment often feels as impossible as trying to pinpoint a cherry blossom in the stormy winds of spring. But somehow Quickspin found a spot in this genre too and created some remarkable games including Eastern Emeralds and ever-popular Sakura Fortune.
Now, having revisited these older games with remakes like Eastern Emeralds Megaways or Sakura Fortune 2, Quickspin has looked to revisit the Sakura Fortune series with a third release in the form of Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom.
This new title hearkens back to its roots, playing out on a familiar 5×4 grid with 40 paylines.
Though it feels like a step back from the expanded configurations of Sakura Fortune 2, it also exudes a kind of nostalgic charm. The visuals are still drenched in cherry blossoms, the soundtrack carries a soothing Eastern vibe, and the entire presentation feels like a poetic homage to its predecessor.
As for betting, Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom caters for a wide range of budgets, from just $0.20 right the way up to $200 per spin. An Extra Bet feature doubles the stake but improves the likelihood of landing Princess Wilds to trigger free spins, meanwhile. The volatility here is very high, while RTP reaches as high as 96%, though it may be lower in different setups from some operators.
Traditional Asian motifs grace the reels, with coins featuring square cutouts as low payers and a lion, dragon, young man and young woman as mid-tier symbols. The highest of these is an older gentleman, paying 10 times the stake for five of a kind. Joining these is the Princess Wild, substituting for all regular symbols and paying 20 times the stake when five land on a payline.
The game has expanded from the others before it and has implemented some new mechanics to offer the most lively gameplay ever.
The Princess Wild symbol is four positions high and substitutes for all regular symbols. It also acts as a bonus symbol trigger. When it lands partially, the Nudge Mechanic may push it to fully cover the reel to activate a Sakura Fortune Respin. Princess Wilds can appear on all reels but not on top of bonus scatters or super bonus scatters.
When a Princess Wild fully covers a reel, a respin is triggered. Additional Princess Wilds award extra respins (plus 1 per wild). During the respin bonus, and super bonus scatters are sticky, making it easier to trigger the free spin features.
Three or more Princess Wilds or bonus scatters will award the following free spins:
During free spins, Princess Wilds expand to fill the entire reel, lock in place for the remainder of the feature, and award +1 extra spin. This locking mechanic is important for achieving maximum payouts.
This is activated by landing one super bonus scatter alongside two or more Princess Wilds or bonus scatters. Besides the usual gameplay of free spins, Epic Bloom Free Spins include multipliers granted at random from x2 to an enormous x100. The multipliers will fall when one Princess Wild is locked and thus triggers a respin. Each new Princess Wild guarantees a multiplier of at least the size of the one before it.
Out of all options, players can gamble their way to extra spins. Regular free spins can be bought with three included scatter symbols for 80x the stake, while for 160x the stake you’ll get assured access to Epic Bloom Free Spins with a super bonus scatter included.
Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom feels like a love letter to its own roots, nailing it with an appropriate balance of familiar mechanics and new thrilling features. Nostalgic visuals, combined with a harmonious soundtrack, evoke the feel of an original; the inclusion of multipliers and the Epic Bloom Free Spins inserts fresh excitement into the game.
It is beyond doubt that the game impressively shines in its free features. Regular free spins will come with a lot of potential through the locking wilds, but it’s these Epic Bloom Free Spins that take things to a whole new level. Random multipliers, particularly the tantalizing x100, promise a layer of unpredictability and excitement for players. That said, high multipliers usually come in so sparsely that frustration is palpable when most of your spins deliver only x1 multipliers.
While having the top win cap stop at 10,000 times the stake, Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom has comfortably bridged the gap from the modest 1,023x cap in the original to the more ambitious 19,664x of its sequel. Offering enough familiarity to feel comfortably retro, yet modern touches in its delivery, Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom provides just enough to both sets of players. Quickspin strikes that fine balance between making sure Sakura Fortune Epic Bloom is a nod to the others before it, yet its own worthy continuation.
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